Etymology and early historyThe word bouffon comes from a Latin verb: buffare, to puff (i.e., to fill the cheeks with air); the word "Buffo" was used in the Roman theatre by those who appeared on the stage with their cheeks blown up; when they received blows that they would make a great noise causing the audience to laugh.[2] The usage of the word bouffon comes from French and has entered English theatrical language through the work of Jacques Lecoq and his pedagogic inquiry into performance approaches of comedy, leading him to create dynamic classroom exercises that explored elements of burlesque, commedia dell'arte, farce, gallows humor, parody, satire, slapstick, etc. that collectively influenced the development of modern bouffon performance work.​This section uses Creative Commons Licensed excerpt(s) from Wikipedia.